The piece of paper
by Carods
Summary: When August discovers a piece of paper that belonged to a young Emma Swan, he finds out that things could be very different from what he first thought… The scene takes place after Season 1 but it's not related to any Season 2 episode. It's what could have happened though.
1. Emma's box and what August found there

A few months after the curse was broken, Emma decided to get her own place in Storybrooke. Mary Margaret and David told her many times that she could stay with them as long as she wanted, but she'd rather have her own apartment, as always. Newcomers weren't legion in the area. Therefore, it didn't take her long to find the perfect place. It was a small flat not far from Mayor Mills' house. Not that she was really keen on having Regina as a neighbor but at least she was close to Henry.

One morning, she picked up her stuff from Mary Margaret's and drove to her new home. When she arrived, she was surprised to see August waiting next to her front door.

_"Hi ! What are you doing here ?"_

_"I heard you were moving today and that you didn't want any help."_

_"You probably didn't get that part very well."_

_"I came just to hear you reply something like that. Now, shall we enter ?"_

Half-angry, half-amused, Emma opened the door. Before she could say anything, August walked by her and entered the apartment. While he was visiting and commenting every room, Emma went back to her car and caught the few boxes she had. When she came back, August was sitting on the couch.

_"Wow, this is all you've got ?"_

_"Why does everyone find this weird ?"_

_"It's not weird, it's just… surprising."_

_"It's also convenient when you've got to move a lot. Now get out of my way, I need to put this stuff where it belongs."_

_"I really can't help you ?"_

_"Oh, whatever…"_

She showed him a box full of old stuff, thinking it would keep him busy for a while. Then, she took another box and went to what would be her room. When she came back about half an hour later, August was still on the couch and the box was far away from being empty.

_"This is what you call helping me ?"_

_"Oh, you're already back ?"_

She noticed he was holding a piece of paper in his right hand.

_"August, what do you have in your hand ?"_

_"Nothing."_

Watching him blush just after his answer, she understood.

_"YOU TOOK SOMETHING FROM MY BOX !"_

_"I didn't mean to. But this thing fell and then…"_

_"You read it !"_

_"Maybe I shouldn't have."_

_"MAYBE ? That's SURE you shouldn't, this is my stuff !"_

_"That's not what I meant."_

Emma couldn't help noticing a change in his voice. Slight, but still there. Was this… sadness ?

_"August, what did you read ?"_

He knew it was pointless to fight - she would find out anyway - so he held the paper out to her.


	2. Old tales

It was an old story Emma had to write when she was still in junior high school. The subject was to tell a childhood memory and what you now thought about it. Emma sat down next to August and began to read out loud.

_"When I was six or seven, I read Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as I imagine every little girl has done. Then it became my favorite fairytale. I loved entering this enchanted world full of magic. My favorite moment was of course when Prince Charming and Snow White were reunited after true love's kiss. I remember I used to read the story every evening before going to bed. And one night, I had this dream. I was just a baby. I'd even say I was a newborn. I can still feel the blanket wrapping me. And there were those two people with me. I couldn't recognize their faces but I knew they were Snow White and Prince Charming. And I knew they were my parents. Then, the memory starts to fade away. I know there's a swordfight. Then a tree, and a young boy. And this is it._

_When I woke up, it felt so real ! But then I realized I was still in my foster home, with no parents. So now you ask me what I think about it ? Well, I think fairytales are crap ! They're just false hope. They make the child you are believe for a second that the world is a beautiful place. But the world isn't. And my parents are not Snow White and Prince Charming, just two cowards who abandoned me next to a road."_

The silence following the reading was one of the loudest August has ever witnessed. Neither of them could say a word. Then Emma, apparently shaken, whispered :

_"Wow. I had completely forgotten about this."_

_" "Forget" is not the word I would have used…"_

_"What do you mean ?"_

_"Look at the dream you had, look at the childhood memory you chose, look at one of the only things of your past you chose to keep. Don't you see, Emma !? You remembered ! The moments you spent in fairytale land, they were etched on your memory. You didn't forget anything, it was there all your life."_

_"It's true that, given the circumstances, all of this makes a lot of sense, but in a confusing kind of way, but what doesn't, August, is the fact that you're crying."_

_"I should have been there Emma ! I promised that I would look after you and I failed. I failed because when you woke up after that dream, I should have been there to tell you that it wasn't an ordinary dream. I should have been there to tell you that it was a memory. I should have been there to tell you that the story your book was telling about Snow White and Prince Charming wasn't finished with the words "The End". I should have been there to tell you that Snow White and Prince Charming were your parents and that they sent you to this world to be the savior. We should have faced all of this together, Emma. But I failed and I'm so, so sorry."_

Seeing August's deep despair, Emma put her arm around his shoulders and told him :

_"It's okay, August."_

_"No it's not. I should never have left you alone in this place. I was there to protect you."_

_"You couldn't know. You thought I would be safe and I can't blame you for that. You were just a kid, August. We were just kids."_

Emma then smiled slightly at August and it seems to calm him down a bit.

_"Look at you, Emma, you're the one protecting me now. You truly are a savior."_

_"Then it means you didn't fail."_

Emma took another look at the piece of paper and said :

_"Oh God, Mary Margaret and David would hate me if they ever found out about that !"_


	3. Choices we make, people we trust

_"No, they wouldn't."_

Emma and August didn't hear this answer because they were laughing really hard trying to let the tension go. The same way they didn't hear, they didn't notice that a bit before Emma starts reading her story, Mary Margaret and David had arrived to the apartment, in order to help Emma. Just before they knocked and entered – because the door was still wide open – , they heard Emma. So they hid behind the wall at the corner of the corridor and listened. When Emma finished, they looked at each other, both as white as a sheet. They remained silent because they wanted to hear August's reaction but mostly because they were unable to speak. But when Mary Margaret heard Emma's last statement, the words came out of her mouth. She wanted to rush into the apartment but David hold her back at the last minute.

_"Don't."_

_"David, look at what she thinks."_

_"That's not what she thinks, Snow, that's what she thought. She knows now. She knows we did this to protect her."_

_"No, she doesn't. You know what I would think if it was me ? I would think it was to save us ! And when you think about it for a second, which is something we probably didn't do last time, that's exactly what we did ! We sent our daughter to an unknown land, all alone, when she was just a baby."_

_"You know we had to."_

_"We didn't do it because we thought we had to. We did it because Rumplestiltskin said she was the savior."_

_"And he was right."_

_"But he could have been wrong ! Imagine for a moment that for some reason, he was working with the Queen, that would have been a perfect revenge. Tricking us by making us believe that our daughter was some kind of hero and then send her to another world, so we would be separated forever. We could have lost her forever."_

David couldn't help thinking that his wife was right on that point. Then he stated :

_"Alright, here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to calm down. Then, we're going to leave, hoping that they don't notice us. And tomorrow, we are going to come back and have a conversation with Emma. Does this sound good to you ?"_

_"It's probably the right thing to do. Well of course, the fact that we make good decisions remains to be seen."_

_"Snow…"_

_"I'm sorry, you're right. Tomorrow."_

As silently as they could, they went down the stairs and went back home. When night came, Snow couldn't find her sleep. She was constantly thinking that something was wrong but she could not put her finger on it. And then, at around 3:00 am, she understood the problem.

_"David. DAVID ! Wake up !"_

_"What ? What is it ?"_

_"Something's wrong."_

_"What ?"_

_"This guy, August. You heard what he said about how he was sorry because he had promised to protect Emma and had failed, and how he was sorry that he didn't help her remember our land."_

_"Yes."_

_"Well tell me how is it possible when Emma was the only person who was sent here."_


	4. Rumplestiltskin

David looked at Mary Margaret. She was right : how was it possible that this man knew both Emma as a baby and the Enchanted Forest ? It wasn't possible. Unless…

_"There was someone else in the wardrobe.", he whispered._

_"August."_

_"Yes. But when I put Emma in it, there was nobody else. And the wardrobe wasn't that big, I would have seen him if he had been inside."_

_"So he was sent to this land before Emma."_

_"But who would have done that ? Whose child is he ?"_

_"I don't know. But I know who lied to us."_

_"The Blue Fairy."_

_"She told us there was only room for one person."_

_"Maybe she didn't know. I mean, if the person who built it told her that, she couldn't know."_

_"So you think it's Gepetto who lied to us."_

_"I don't know, Snow. Honestly, I don't see any of them do something like that."_

They stayed quiet for a while, searching in their memories the reasons of such a lie when Snow, making David jump, screamed :

_"Rumplestiltskin !"_

_"What ? You think he knows ?"_

_"Yes, because it's him. It has to be ! He tells us to build the wardrobe and then, by some magic, he also makes sure that his son…"_

_"That's the problem, Snow. Rumplestiltskin didn't have a son back in our land."_

_"I heard rumors that he had."_

David woke up from bed and leant his head against the window. There, he could feel the cold morning wind on his skin, which was a really nice feeling. A few minutes later, Snow joined him and they both looked at the awakening city.

_"It doesn't make sense, Snow. Even if he had a son, he knew Emma was the savior. There was no point in sending his son too."_

_"You heard the boy. He said he promised to look after Emma. Rumplestiltskin wanted to make sure that the curse would be broken. And sure, he knew the curse was coming. But he couldn't be entirely sure that Emma would save us and he didn't know what the curse would be." _

_"So he made sure his son was safe, as we did."_

_"I know it might not make a lot of sense, but it's more likely that Gold is the liar in this story than Gepetto or Blue."_

David knew his wife was right, so he decided :

_"Ok, let's go to Gold's shop !"_


	5. Our lost children

When Snow and David arrived at Gold's pawnshop, they were pretty surprised to find him having a chat with a beautiful young woman. Both seemed really happy. Snow and David looked at each other for a second but there was no time for hesitation, so they entered. As they did, Gold turned around towards them, annoyed by this interruption. The young woman, after witnessing this entrance, looked at him, and then at those two strangers, with an interrogative look.

_"Belle, let me introduce you to Prince Charming and Snow White."_

_"Nice to meet you."_

She smiled at them, happy to know two new people in the city. Instantaneously, Snow found her adorable. Therefore, she couldn't totally understand why she was doing in such a place. So she ventured to ask :

_"So, you and Mr. Gold are… ?"_

_"I'm his girlfriend, yes."_

_"I'm sure they're not here to hear about us, dearie."_

Even if he tried to hide it, Gold was a bit embarrassed. Noticing it, David hastened to reply :

_"Yes, actually we wanted to ask you about a man named August."_

Hearing this name, Gold frowned. It was obvious he knew the person they were talk about and also that it wasn't a conversation he was glad to have. Snow supposed that Gold would be a bit reluctant to talk about this in front of Belle, so she offered her :

_"Hey, while our guys are talking, why don't we go to Granny's and ask for her delicious pancakes ?"_

_"That sounds great !"_

She quickly kissed Gold, said goodbye to David and then left with Snow. Once they closed the door, David said :

_"I reckon you know who August is."_

_"I do."_

_"He is your son."_

_"What ?"_

_"That's why you asked us to build the wardrobe. To save him. Only you didn't want us to know he would leave with Emma so, I don't know how, but you tricked Gepetto and the Blue Fairy. Or maybe you threatened them, even. And you made them told that there was only room for one person, while your son had already left."_

_"David, that's not what happened. I always thought that Emma and Mary Margaret would go together. The boy who came to this world with Emma wasn't my son."_

His face darkened while he went on :

_"I had a son, yes, but I lost him long before the curse. I couldn't save him." _

_"I'm sorry. But it…"_

_"Made sense, I know. I don't blame you."_

_"You said you knew who he was, though."_

_"He came to see me before the cruse broke. Even made me believe he was my boy. But I knew he wasn't Bae. Now I have reasons to believe that he is Gepetto's son, if that can help you."_

_"I think it does. Thank you, Gold."_

Gold nodded and David left the shop. On his way to Granny's, he ran into Belle and Snow heading back to the shop. They seemed to have become the best friends in the world. Belle left Snow with her husband, after promising her they'd go back to Granny's really soon.

_"You two seem to get along very well."_

_"She's a sweetheart ! I had seen her around before, I mean after the curse, but I didn't know she was with Gold."_

_"It's hard to believe The Dark One can fall in love."_

_"I think Evil itself could fall in love with Belle."_

After saying that, Snow stopped walking and grabbed David's arm :

_"Oh my God, they're so The Beauty and The Beast ! I've got to tell Henry."_

_"He probably already figured that out."_

_"Yes, you're right... And speaking of Gold, how did it go with him ?"_

David told her his conversation and asked his wife :

_"So what do we do now ?"_

_"I think we should go back to her first intuition and talk to the Blue Fairy."_


	6. Out of the Blue

Blue and the other fairies had decided to stay in their convent. Therefore, that's where Snow and Charming went. When they arrived, they first saw Grumpy talking to another fairy they didn't know.

Snow whispered :

_"First, Gold with a girlfriend. Now, Grumpy in a convent. What's happening ?"_

_"I have no idea."_, David answered, laughing.

They then caught sight of Blue, lighting some candles. They headed for her.

_"Snow ! David ! What brings you here ?"_

_"We had some questions about what happened just before the curse."_

_"Oh, I see. What is it ?"_

_"Did you know there was room for two people in the wardrobe ?"_

From the look she gave them, Snow and David realized that Blue was not expecting the question. After a moment of hesitation, she chose not to lie to them. It was pointless, they already knew the answer.

_"Yes, I knew."_

_"Look, I don't think of a reason for you to lie to us. Did Rumplestiltskin tell you to ?"_

_"No ! It wasn't him."_

_"You're sure ? With David, we were thinking he might have done it to protect his son but he told us that's not what happened. However, I'm not sure it's the truth."_

_"It is. Rumplestiltskin lost his son Baelfire a long time ago. I even had something to do with that."_

_"If it was not Rumplestiltskin, then who was it ?"_

_"Gepetto."_

Snow and David looked at each other. Gepetto's name was coming out again. It was more and more certain that August was Gepetto's son, whom they knew by the name of Pinocchio. Before they could add anything, Blue continued :

_"He said he wouldn't build the wardrobe unless his son went in it too. I tried to dissuade him from doing it, and so did Jiminy, I mean Archie. I told him that the second place belonged to Snow, that the child needed her mother. But he didn't give up. I'm so sorry but you have to understand, all our lives were at stake and I didn't want to jeopardize everyone."_

When Blue finished, Snow was quivering with rage. With a voice colder than everything David could have imagined, she said :

_"David, we go at Gepetto's. Now."_

Next thing David knew, Snow was already out. He briefly thanked Blue for her help and told her that she had nothing to blame her for. Then, he started to run to catch up with Snow.

_"Snow ! Wait !"_

She slowed down a bit. When David arrived at her level, he grabbed her arm to make her stop :

_"Hang on, we need to be sure…"_

_"We already are, David. Rumplestiltskin told us, so did Blue. What do you want now ?"_

_"A proof that August is indeed Gepetto's son. Because if he's not, it doesn't make any sense."_

_"Ok fine, let's go to see Henry !"_

_"Why Henry ?"_

_"Because if someone knows everyone's identity here, it's him."_

When they arrived at Regina's house, Henry was really surprised to see them, as much as he was pleased. However, Snow didn't let him the time to speak :

_"Henry, we've got a question for you."_

_"Ok, what is it ?"_

_"Do you know the man named August ?"_

_"Oh, you mean Pinocchio ?"_

_"You're sure it's Pinocchio ?"_

_"Yes, why ?"_

_"We'll tell you later !"_

And, before the incredulous look of Henry, Snow and Charming finally went to see Gepetto.


	7. Being a parent

It didn't take much time for Gepetto to understand the reason of Snow and Charming's visit. As soon as they entered, he told them, with a voice filled with sadness :

_"I know you would come, eventually."_

_"You know why we are here ?"_

_"The wardrobe."_

As angry as she was when she first arrived, Snow softened up herself when she saw how remorseful the man was. Gepetto put down the clock he was fixing and added :

_"I don't want this to sound as an excuse for what I've done, but you have to understand. I had gone through too much to have him. He was my little boy, my life. I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't take that risk, not when I had a chance to save him. I didn't know what was coming and I wanted him to be safe. And it was the only way we could be together again one day."_

He paused for a moment and then continued :

_"I'd understand if you were mad at me but just know that if I had to do it again, I wouldn't. I was blinded by fear but now I see that Blue and Jiminy were right, that second place belonged to you, Snow. And now I know that, despite the curse, we would still have been together. In here, he would have still been my son. I might have cause more damages than the Queen herself because I've torn families apart, including mine. In the end, the real curse was growing old without our children."_

When Gepetto finished, he, Snow and David were crying. After a moment of silence, Snow dried her tears and said :

_"I'm not going to pretend that I can forgive you. At least, not now. But I do understand, because I know we'd do anything to protect our children."_

_"She's right, Gepetto."_, David added, _"and now, we're all reunited, that's what matters."_

Once again, Gepetto's face darkened.

_"What is it ?"_

_"I haven't seen Pinocchio since the curse was broken."_

_"You mean he never came to see you ?"_

_"He arrived so long ago, he could be anywhere in this world."_

_"But he was at Emma's yesterday."_

Gepetto looked up at them, a glimmer of hope in his eyes :

_"You mean… he's here ?"_

_"Yes, and he might still be at Emma's today. Let's go."_


	8. Questions

_"Emma, somebody knocked on the door."_

_"Really ? I'm not expecting anyone."_

_"Must be Henry or your parents."_

_"Yeah… can you open up ?"_

_"Hang on, they don't actually know me. I'm not gonna open your door, door to the house where you've just moved in just a couple of days ago. Would be weird."_

_"Alright, I'll get it."_

Emma threw the book she was reading to her bed and got out of her room. She gave August, lazily laid down on the couch, an annoyed look.

_"You're useless, you know that ?"_

_"You're not saying that when I help you cleaning this flat. Now go open the door, you're making your guests waiting."_

_"You're not gonna win this."_

When Emma finally opened, she found Mary Margaret waiting on the doorstep. Mother and daughter hugged.

_"Hi, what brings you here ?"_

_"Emma, we need to talk." _

_"That sounds serious."_

_"It is."_

_"Ok. Come on in."_

_"No… well, before, I've got to ask you. Is… August there ?"_

_"Yes, but how do you know… ?"_

_"Never mind ! I'll be back in a minute, don't go anywhere !"_

_"Where do you want me to…"_

Before she could finish her question, Mary Margaret was already gone.

_"go… ?"_

_"What was it ?"_

Emma turned around, to find August just right behind her. She briefly related her talk with Mary Margaret. August was wondering why she wanted to see him. He didn't get to wait too long for the answer. Before he could notice, Mary Margaret was back with David and Gepetto, and the old man was facing his son for the first time in many years.


	9. Who is to blame ?

They stared at each other, silently. Then, Gepetto whispered :

_"Pinocchio."_

_"It's me, father."_

_"My boy, it's you. It's really you."_

And an instant later, Gepetto was holding August in his arms. He clung to him, like he was never willing to let him go again. They were too overwhelmed by emotion to speak but there was nothing to say : father and son were reunited and their love was the best reunion message they could give to each other. After a long moment, the two men moved a bit away from one another. Gepetto put his hand on August's cheek, as he still couldn't believe his own eyes. Then, Gepetto remembered :

_"You came to see me at my workshop, telling me that it was your father who taught you how to fix clocks."_

_"I was starting to turn back to wood, I wanted to spend some time with you."_

_"Yes, of course. But… then… oh son, I don't want this to sound like a reproach but…"_

_"You wonder why I didn't want you to see me after the curse was broken."_

_"Yes."_

_"Because I had failed you, dad. All those years ago, I had promised you to take care of Emma, and I didn't do it. I lost myself, I failed and I didn't want to face your reaction once you'd have come to realize that. I didn't want to see how much I had disappointed you. So once the curse broke and I turned back to flesh and bones, I decided to do what I'm the best at : I ran away."_

_"Son, when you arrived there, you were so young. What I see today is that you came back. You realized you had made a mistake when you left Emma, so you tried to make up for it and you came back. You made her believe and it worked, she broke the curse. No, I'm the one to blame for sending you there in the first place."_

_"Ok guys, sorry to interrupt, but you need to stop apologizing. Both of you."_

August and Gepetto jumped. They had totally forgotten that Emma and her parents were still there. Emma looked successively at everyone in the room and repeated :

_"No one in this room has to apologize because no one in this room is to blame for what happened."_

Gepetto went towards Emma and told her :

_"Because of me, you didn't grow up with your mother the way you were supposed to do. And that's my fault."_

_"I didn't grow up with my parents because of a spell Regina cast. You didn't make this curse happen. And then you did what you thought you had to do to protect your family. I almost lost my son, not so long ago. So I know that I would have done anything to save him. I don't blame you, Marco."_

Hearing Emma's words, Gepetto couldn't resist more time to the desire to cry he had since he first entered the room.

_"Thank you, Emma. What you said means a lot to me."_

_"And to me."_, added August, who had come closer to his dad.

_"No problem. Now I don't want this to sound like I'd like to kick you out but you guys probably have some catch-up to do."_

_"Yes"_, said August, laughing, _"you're right."_

He wrapped an arm around his father's shoulders and both walked to the door. Passing by David and Mary Margaret, Gepetto stopped and said :

_"Thank you, for helping me find my boy."_

_"Don't mention it."_, answered David, smiling, "_Nothing's better that a family reunited."_

After they left, Charming, Snow and their daughter found themselves alone in the living room. The time for the talk had arrived. Emma was the first one to break the silence.

_"How did he know about August ? And, how did you know he'd be here ?"_

_"We were there yesterday, we heard everything."_


	10. Time to talk

_"Oh, I see."_, answered an embarrassed Emma.

She motioned to her parents to sit down on the couch August had just left. She took a chair from the kitchen and sat in front of them. Noticing that her parents didn't really know where to begin, she decided to start :

_"Look, I'm sorry you heard that, especially this way. When I wrote that, I was something like twelve or thirteen. You know, the time where kids start to disagree with their parents for no reason… By then I was really angry. The hope I had when I was younger that one day you would come back for me had gone. It's really hard, you know, to lose your childhood dreams. As I couldn't blame you, because you weren't there, I blamed the only thing I could : that story book I received on my seventh birthday, that book that made me think I was, well, your daughter. I can't believe that tuned out to be true ! Anyway, I know I threw it away and then a few weeks later, I had this paper to do and well, you know what happened next. I just want you to know that now, I know. I won't say that growing up without you wasn't hard : truth is it was horrible sometimes. I didn't understand why you would do this. But then, sooner than I expected, I gave birth to Henry and I began to understand your reasons, even though I wasn't ready to forgive you. And since I arrived here, I know what it is to have a child you have to take care of, no matter what. I understand how hard it must have been for you as well. "_

She paused, just in order to take her parents' hands in hers, and resumed :

_"Now I just want you two to be sure, and to never doubt, that I don't blame you. I know it was Regina's fault. And I'm sorry if what you heard hurt you."_

Snow, her eyes glittering with emotion, squeezed Emma's hand a little bit harder. David, at least as moved as his wife, whispered :

_"You are as kind as your mother, Emma."_

The three of them smiled, happy to be together. They all knew the worst where behind them and if some bad things were to happen to them again, they would be together to face them. After a while, Emma stood up, disappeared for a minute in her room and came back with the piece of paper. Seeing it, David joked :

_"By the way, you didn't get too much trouble for writing this ?"_

_"A little bit, yes."_, admitted Emma.

_"It's funny though."_, pointed out Snow, _"this story of us finding about Gepetto and August, them finding each other, and our talk… it all started because you read a fairy tale book. It started with the letter, but you wrote it in the first place because of the book. Just like Henry. He started to believe and to look for you after he read the book I had given him."_

_"That's right. I had never realized that."_

Emma took a little time to think about what Snow had just said. Then she shrugged her shoulders and added :

_"I guess there are things you can't escape from."_

_"Probably not."_, agreed her father, gravely.

_"What are you going to do with this letter now ?"_, asked Snow.

_"I'll keep it. So it will remind me every day that happy endings can still occur, even when you think there is no hope for it."_


	11. Reunion and retaliation

A few days later, Ruby came to Emma's. She announced her that Granny had decided it was time for them to celebrate their reunion. She was then invited to come over the next evening, thing Emma gladly accepted, like the rest of the town did. It would be a lie to tell that Granny and Ruby invited every inhabitant of Storybrooke : there were indeed some people they weren't exactly happy to be reunited with. Therefore, people like King George or Moe French were forgotten. It goes without saying that it crossed nobody's mind to invite Regina. However, mostly because of Ruby, they agreed to let Belle come with Mr. Gold. They knew some people would find it strange but the young woman seemed so happy to spend time with him that Ruby, and therefore Granny, couldn't say no to her. Ruby was somewhat curious to know how her friend had managed to drag Gold into the party. It must have required great skill of persuasion.

On D-day, everyone was really busy. At 4:00 p.m., Granny's was already crowded with people bringing food, beverages and decoration. It was a slight reminder of the parties they used to organize back in their land. Ruby was posted at the entrance of the restaurant and was showing people where to put this or to hang that. As the afternoon went on, the place was starting to take shape. Everywhere you were looking at, there was a balloon. Leroy had come out the "Welcome back" banner used for Mary Margaret. This time, it was for them. For their memories, for their lives. Around 7:00 p.m., people who weren't there to help started to arrive and Granny was starting to think that there might not be enough room for everyone.

No one noticed that someone was looking at them from across the street, alone in the dark. Regina. For her, this was just another reminder that she had lost. That was what explained the angry look in her eyes. But if you were to look carefully, you would also notice an ounce of sadness had appeared. Henry had just arrived with Emma. He was smiling and holding her hand. He seemed happier than she had ever seen him. She knew that no one in town would have allowed her to come. But Henry didn't even try to ask. She felt she was starting to have tears in her eyes : how much was he angry at her for what happened ? Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the person coming behind her.

_"They didn't forget you, Your Majesty."_

She jumped, hearing this voice so close to her ear. It was Gold's. She turned around to face him. Standing in the dark like this, he was looking threatening. It was reinforced by the worrying grin he was wearing, his golden tooth shining in the moonlight. He came near Regina, so close that their noses were also touching. Then he stated, pointing at the crowd gathered at Granny's :

_"Now it's time for feasts and reunions. But when it will calm down, because it will, they'll come for you."_

Regina smiled and replied :

_"You brought magic back. Let them come."_

_"Don't underestimate them. Because they'll never forget what you did to them. Most importantly, they will never forget what you did to their families, to the people they love. They won't hesitate to get their revenge."_

_"Again, let them come. You are Rumplestiltskin, I am the Evil Queen. We can handle a bunch of angry citizens." _

_"You seem to believe that I am on your side, dearie."_

_"You're not ?"_, asked Regina, trying her best not to sound worried.

_"Not anymore."_

_"Why is that ? You knew about the curse all along and I granted all your wishes. You had a great life."_

_"But she didn't."_

Regina looked in the same direction as Gold and tensed up when she saw Belle waiting outside. Gold grabbed her arm and whispered to her ear :

_"I will never forget what you did to her. Never. So if I were you, I would be careful, Your Majesty. Very careful."_

She watched Gold left and joined Belle before they entered at Granny's hand in hand. The curse had been broken for a couple of months now and day after day, Regina expected people to come after her but for the moment, they didn't seem to care much for her. As Gold said, it was time for rejoice. But time for revenge would come and she knew she would have to face their reactions. She was sure it was in her power to control everyone. Everyone but Gold. The most powerful man in town. She knew he wouldn't be that angry if she had attacked him. But in this case, she attacked Belle, Gold's true love. She locked her up for twenty-eight years and made him believe that she was dead. And she was starting to think it was a really bad idea.

**THE END**


	12. The Bright Side and the Dark One

I knew I had totally forgotten to do something !

That something being warning you that I had written a sequel to this ! Sorry about that :$

Anyway, here's the link to **The Bright Side and the Dark One** !

s/8981336/1/The-Bright-Side-and-the-Dark-One


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